Get Up, Stand Up – For Your Health

If you’re reading this article while seated at a desk, take a break and stand up or take a walk. That, in essence, is the recommendation of a new study that found that adults who sit for prolonged periods of time -- 11 or more hours per day – have a 40 increased risk of dying in the next three years compared with those who sit for fewer than four hours a day. Standing up more often may reduce your risks, even if you are physically active, according to the study of more than 200,000 people published in the Archives of Internal Medicine."These results have important public health implications," said lead author Dr. Hidde van der Ploeg, a senior research fellow at the University of Sydney's School of Public Health. "That morning walk or trip to the gym is still necessary, but it's also important to avoid prolonged sitting. Our results suggest the time people spend sitting at home, work and in traffic should be reduced by standing or walking more." The study found physical activity is still beneficial: inactive people who sat the most had twice the risk of dying within three years than the active people who sat least. Researchers said the findings are significant, in light of studies showing the average adult spends 90 percent of his or her leisure time sitting down.An accompanying editorial in the journal said the evidence was strong enough to support doctors prescribing "reduced daily sitting time" to their patients.

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